The Scent of the Obscene, A Tragic Marauder's Tale
by HighFivesToSuicide
Summary: There's an innocence to betrayal, and then there's the scent of the obscene. Now, the six soontobemembers of the Order of the Phoenix, plus a mercernary must choose which one to handle as their fate...


The Scent of the Obscene

A Marauder's Tale

Chapter One

Formal Introductions

Everyone has a story that Hogwarts is was the place where their lives changed. How they got the girl/boy. How they won over the professor or became Quidditch Captain or Head Girl or Head Boy, blah blah blah.

That's a load of bullshit.

At least in Madeline's mind it was.

At sixteen, freshly turned on August 21st, she was old enough to know that there are no happy endings and you need to depend on yourself and no one else. You take on friend, tell them everything about yourself and then they ditch you. BOOM! Now you have a loaded gun walking around the place. She knew that things were better off when you work alone. Right now, she was huddled against a pillar on Platform 9 ¾. She had a bedraggled appearance to her due to her running all day and night to get to the damn platform. Madeline nearly had a heart attack when some careless idiot almost ran her over.

"Oh sorry," the boy apologized before running after his friend.

Madeline glared at his retreating figure.

Jerk.

Sirius glanced back at the girl who had thrown him a death glare. She looked vaguely familiar.

"Homeless people are getting younger and younger…" he sighed, shaking his head.

"HA! Padfoot, you know you're not homeless." James Potter replied loitering near a pillar. They had came a bit earlier than usual this year.

"No, I'm just _familiyless_ ." Sirius said in a glum voice.

James shook his head and sighed. Last summer, Sirius snapped and ran away from home, he crashed at James's house. James had to deal with an "emo" Sirius for most of the time.

Sure he felt bad that his best mate in the whole wide world had been kicked out of his house, but personally, Sirius should feel a bit liberated. His parents treated him like crap. Sirius's mum was barking mad and his dad always told Sirius, "Be a man!". It's a wonder Sirius turned out normal and somewhat cheerful.

Madeline stared at her reflection in the bathroom with deep disgust. She looked terrible. Hell, she looked like crap. After running around Spain and England, she looked horrible. Her long dark hair was in knots and her eyeliner was smudged nearly over her cheekbones. With a sigh, she began to attack her hair with her hairbrush. Nearly an hour later, Madeline was washed, clean and polished. Feeling tons better, she strode out confidently onto the platform in three-inch heels. The platform was full of witches and wizards, trolleys and owls. Familiar scenes, homey scenes. As that hit close to home, she turned her back on the scene and boarded the train.

With difficulty, Madeline found an empty compartment. Shutting the door firmly, she flopped on the seat and drew out a cigarette. Nasty habit really, but hey, everyone is entitled to a vice. Taking a deep drag, she blew out smoke just as the door slid opened. Eyebrows raised, she surveyed the girl who ha entered.

A very frustrated Lily Evans stormed into the compartment. She was in a foul mood thanks to Petunia.

" _Fur-eeek ."_ She had hissed at her.

In Lily's mind, Petunia and her fat ass boyfriend, Vernon were the freaks. Banging into the compartment, she flushed when the girl shot her a look.

"Sorry," She muttered and took the opposite seat. Lily twisted her hands in her lap. The girl's cool demeanor made her feel awkward.

Madeline held the silence for ten, fifteen, twenty seconds until she blew out another ring of smoke. She knew this girl, Madeline supposedly shared a dorm with her. The famous, hot-headed Lily Evans. Smart, serious and hot-headed.

"Lily Evans…" Madeline said idly as she tugged on her earring absently.

Startled, Lily looked up. A tiny smile appeared on Madeline's face. A bit relieved, she replied, "Yes, that's me. And you are?"

"Madeline, Madeline de Luca," She replied lapsing into a Spanish lilt.

She accepted Lily's outstretched hand.

"You look rather familiar…almost like a Professor."

Madeline laughed lightly. "Oh but I am sixteen and a fellow Gryffindorian."

Amazed, Lily studied Madeline's profile closely. She looked young, but the eyes were a dead giveaway. Dark, foreboding, there was a haunted look, or perhaps it was a hollow look.

"Aren't you supposed to share a dorm with Riley O Connor and me?"

"Supposedly….she talks to much."

"True."

Lily was curious about this girl. She was foreign, talked with a musical tongue and had an aloof personality. Or maybe she didn't like her. Frowning slightly, she watched Madeline stub out her cigarette and dispose of it. Wrinkling her nose, Madeline caught her expression and raised a thin eyebrow.

"Ah, not use to people smoking are you?"

"More like it's a disgusting habit."

Giving Lily a bland smile, Madeline replied with a certain steel to her voice, "Well too bad sugar, I smoke, smoke daily and I'm perfectly fine with it. Yes, I know it's a disgusting habit, but everyone is entitled to a vice."

"That's true."

Maybe she couldn't help it, Lily decided. She finally seemed to have regained her memory enough to recall that whenever Madeline was in school, she sat alone, always in the back, and always in the shadows. A ridiculous image popped into her mind, of Madeline with fangs and saying, " _I vant to suck your blood!_ ." Sniggering a bit, Madeline gave her a stare.

"Voices in the head?" She asked quizzically.

"No, no. I just had a ridiculous image---" Lily broke off not sure if she wanted to see Madeline's reaction.

"Go on….hanging sentences are rather annoying."

"Well…don't' get offended, but I just had a rather queer image of you with fangs and wanting to suck blood."

She smiled wolfishly and then replied, "Who knows, maybe you're right."

Lily widened her eyes. Oh crap.

Snickering herself, Madeline said, "Oh please, I'm not a vampire, sure I look like one, but I'm not."

"Oh…okay then." Lily said quietly relieved.

At the moment, the compartment door slid open I _yet_ /I again. "Christ, we're doing big business today…" Madeline thought.

James Potter breezed into the compartment and swung a companionable arm around Lily.

"Lily, my love! I have been searching up and down and inside out for you in this train!" He announced gallantly.

"Well you found me." She scowled shrugging off his arm. Crestfallen, he caught Sirius's eyes. He snorted and then took a seat next to James. Remus bit his cheek to hide a grin and Peter just followed along like a sweet puppy.

As readers like to know how the characters "look", we shall pause to describe the heroes and heroines in the story. There was James Potter, tall, muscular with a mop of black hair and glasses. He was a Quidditch Maniac. His best friend Sirius Black, was also tall, lean, olive skinned, and had a head of long dark hair that fell over his smoky gray eyes and past his collar. He was extremely handsome and most girls were madly in love with him. Remus Lupin was quiet, shy boy who was shorter than Sirius and James who had pale skin, chestnut waves and a pleasant disposition. Peter Pettigrew was the shortest, tad bit chubby with watery blue eyes and smooth blonde hair. Together, they made up the four infamous Marauders.

As for the girls, Lily was tall, slender and had red hair that fell softly about her shoulders. She was famous for her keen green eyes and freckles across her nose. Though it might not seem like it, Lily was a bit of a loner too. Madeline on the other hand was a totally different story. She was short and a shade too thin for most girls. Her features were delicate and obviously foreign with big dark eyes and a slightly crooked nose. She had long dark hair that tumbled pass her butt and exquisite hands. The two girls complimented each nicely, as each were a foil for one another. Madeline, dark and moody and Lily hot headed and bright.

Now the six of them were all sitting in the compartment, unconscious of what may come, how they might end up a tight knit family by the end of the year and standing together as darker things pass over their eyes…

It was raining when they finally reached the station at Hogsmeade. Madeline could not remember any year in which they had arrived at Hogwarts when it was not raining. Maybe it was fate that they always arrived on a rainy night, she mused. Students were changed into robes now, milling about trying to find one another, owls were screeching. The sounds of a new school year.

Lagging behind the others, she stood near the train doors idly waiting for them to disappear. The never ending chat that had gone had given her headache. Not that she didn't like people, she just liked to be around certain people. And James Potter along Sirius Black didn't count.

Her lips turned into a smile as she remembered the looks Sirius had sent her. She had seen it before, in a sleazy, slicked back guy in smoky club, it made her cringe. In businessmen, it made her roll her eyes. In Sirius however, she felt smug. Everyone knew about Sirius's reputation with girls. He was man whore. He kept his romances short, sweet and shallow. One girl was the same as another to him. And that's why Madeline fully intended to keep as far as possible away from him.

The Marauders clamored into a carriage and at the last moment, James grabbed Lily's hand and tugged her inside too. She was not pleased, nonetheless, it was nice to be out of the rain. However, being squeezed tight next to James was not nice; especially when he had a huge grin on his face.

"Don't even think about it James." She told him sternly when she saw his hand inching toward her knee.

Muttering an oath under his breath, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his robe.

"Oi, where'd Madeline go?"

"Oh…she prolli caught another carriage." Peter said absently looking outside the window.

Madeline had never been present during the Sorting since her own almost seven years ago. She didn't want to be apart of Hogwarts, she didn't feel the want or need to belong there. Sure you spent a good deal of your youth there, but once you get out, you don't want to look back. What was the point in becoming attached to a person, place or thing when you know you're going to have to lose it, leave it or erase it from your memory?

So here she was, sitting on wet grass under a tree in the middle of rainstorm. I Smooth move here Madeline/I She thought freezing her ass off. Sighing, she stared moodily up at the castle. The thought of having to sit through yet another year here was enough to make her scream.


End file.
